Mateship

You can't be here in Australia for very long before hearing about the concept of "mateship."  Here are some explanations:Wikipedia says: "Mateship is an Australian cultural idiom that embodies equality, loyalty and friendship."But it goes further than that.  This government site says:'Mateship' is a concept that can be traced back to early colonial times. The harsh environment in which convicts and new settlers found themselves meant that men and women closely relied on each other for all sorts of help. In Australia, a 'mate' is more than just a friend. It's a term that implies a sense of shared experience, mutual respect and unconditional assistance.And this article notes: "It is a term that conjures images of young men providing unconditional support for one another amid the toughest of conditions."But what I've found is that the term also often implies demonstrating that loyalty with a panache of machismo, sometimes--in the view of others--to the the extent of foolishness. Martin Flanagan tells a story in his book In Sunshine or in Shadow:Just after the Rocherlea turn-off, I stopped for a hitchhiker, a young man in his twenties, who looked to be in pain. He was holding his groin and got into the car with difficulty. He told me he had picked up a pup belonging to his mate's dog, a half bull terrier bitch, which had responded by leaping up and biting him in the testicles. I asked if he struck the animal or kicked at it to get away. He looked at me as if I hadn...
Source: Not running a hospital - Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs